Solitude
by Scribbler
Summary: Leon just wants to be left alone. Of course, that's not allowed. Yuffie/Leon . One shot.


**Disclaimer: **Verily, they are not mine.

**AN:** Set pre-KH1, when the Hollow Bastion crowd were still living in Traverse Town. Yet another enry for the KH Drabble challenge. I had nothing brewing for this week's challenge of 'Summer', but was inspired by a fanart by Risachantag, which can be found at risachantag (dot) deviantart (dot) com (slash) art (slash) KH-Just-let-me-sleep-29290055.

**Rating/Warnings:** None. You could show this to your elderly dicky-hearted granny (if she plays KH, that is).

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_**Solitude **_

© Scribbler, July 2008.

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Nobody ever seems to understand Leon's desire for solitude. To them, alone equals lonely, and lonely equals bad. After all, the only other person to spend inordinate amounts of time alone is Cloud, and, well, Cloud's nuts. They haven't even seen him since Yule three years ago, when everything went to hell in a handbasket of plaited silver hair.

So Leon's friends wage a constant battle against him spending time alone, save for when he shuts his door at night, and even then it's temporal Russian roulette who'll knock first with an offer of supper, cards, or invitations to go stargazing.

He thinks he's cracked it when Summer's the hottest anyone can remember – the type of stifling, bone-melting heat that wilts flowers before breakfast and strips chrome from steel. Traverse Town's hit by lethargy that spreads faster than typhoid, and after a few weeks it's customary for the whole town to take an afternoon siesta.

All except Leon.

_He_ treks out into the hills. He has to climb and walk a very narrow path in the hottest part of the day, but eventually reaches a small sheltered tarn stained indigo with copper deposits. There he spends hours polishing his gunblade, reading war strategy books, and just doing nothing – a rarity when he's in town and people constantly ask for his help or advice. There's a downside to being the de facto leader of so many world-orphans, and it's a complete sacrifice of self because you can't stop doing whatever's necessary to ease their lives. It's draining and, for a natural loner like Leon, easily frustrating.

On the fifth day he falls asleep next to the pool, but awakens to a familiar giggle.

"Hiya." Yuffie peers down at him.

Inwardly, Leon groans. Nobody else knows about this place, and he thought himself safe from discovery. He considers shutting his eyes again, feigning sleep, but Yuffie crouches beside him. He can tell from her body language she's a heartbeat from poking his ribs like the irritating teenager she is.

However, instead she flops down. "So _here's_ where you've been disappearing."

He grunts.

"It's nice. Difficult to find, though. Anybody'd think you don't _want_ company."

Another grunt. They're quite eloquent: this one means 'go away now or I won't be responsible for my gunblade's actions'. Yuffie, however, isn't fluent in Leon-ese – or if she is she chooses to ignore him. It's a toss-up with her.

He waits for her to talk more.

And waits.

"Aren't you going to say anything?"

"Was I supposed to?"

"No."

"Then don't be a dingbat."

Leon's suspicious, but settles back. Being with Yuffie is usually an exercise in keeping his temper, but she maintains her puzzling silence and sleep tugs at him again.

"How'd you find me?" he asks drowsily.

"Secret. How'd you find here in the first place?"

He pauses before answering. "Used to go exploring around here with Cloud, when we were kids."

"Oh." A beat. "You miss him?"

"Yeah."

Everybody always talks about Cloud like he's dead – reverently, sadly, almost deifying him and his very public torment. He'd hate it, but he's not here, so Leon hates it on his behalf.

"He was an ass sometimes."

Maybe it's the heat melting his facial muscles, but a tight little smile appears. "Yeah."

They fall asleep side by side, not returning until evening when Aerith's convincing Cid not to mount a search party. Watching them, Leon feels strangely at peace, the way he usually does only when alone.

When Yuffie shoots him a grin he allows himself to smile back and asks if she wants to go stargazing later.

"Nah. But I'll beat your butt at poker."

"You're on."

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_**Fin.**_

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End file.
